Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

Once Doc Louis finished with Matty, Isaac again carefully picked him up and carried him into Nico’s room. Possibly because of his own large frame, Isaac had built larger than normal beds for all the rooms in the house. After settling Matty into Nico’s good-sized bed that could comfortably accommodate two sixteen-year-old boys, Isaac saw the concern on Nico’s face and asked, “Do you need to get some rest, son, or are you hungry? Matty’s going to sleep a while, so you don’t need to stay here with him all the time.”

“I think I could eat, but I’m awfully tired too.”

Isaac nodded. “Let’s grab some breakfast and then we can all get some rest. It’s been a harrowing night for everyone. I hope Walter has changed out of his soaking clothes by now. And I think your mother is planning to insist Doc Louis take a rest in one of the bedrooms as well.” Isaac suddenly looked surprised. “Nicolo! Do you hear that?”

Pulling on his trousers, Nico answered, “Hear what? I don’t hear a thing.”

“Precisely! It’s stopped raining! Oh, I hope this lasts. We’ve had enough rain for three or four years, and the devastation is horrible.” He affectionately slung his arm around Nico’s shoulders, and they made their way back to the dining room where Suzette cheerfully chatted with Doc Louis.

To look at her, you’d never guess that she too had been up all night. With a lovely smile, she regarded her husband and son as they sat down. “Look! We have blue sky this morning,” she beamed.

“And I shall take advantage of this break in the weather and head for home,” Doc Louis announced.

“Can you stay long enough to have coffee and a bit to eat?” Suzette asked.

“Thank you, but my dearest Marguerite is waiting for me, and I shall take my leave. Please let me know if Matty needs me for any reason. I will be back tomorrow to check on him.”

Unfortunately, the sunny respite did not last more than a few minutes, and Doc Louis got soaked through before he reached home. Once the rain began again, it did not stop for another week. Homes were destroyed, and property was ruined; it was a wonder more people didn’t perish. Storms would continue that year from late January until May with the highest cumulative rainfall ever recorded. The Stark-James family and all of their friends and relatives could not have been more relieved that they’d chosen property far away from the Los Angeles River or any low-lying areas.

In the meantime, after finishing breakfast, Nico could barely keep his eyes open. Suzette ordered him to bed, saying, “Let us know if Matty wakes up and needs some food or help to the toilet, or anything. Do not try to do everything yourself, Nicolo. You need to stay healthy too.”

“Yes, Maman.” Nico looked at her and then at his two fathers and added, “Thank you for helping Matty. I love you all so much. I wish Matty had parents like I have.”

“Well, at least he has a friend who loves him,” Walter said with a kind smile. “Without your interference, there is no telling what may have happened to the poor young man. I’m glad he came to you.” Turning to Isaac, he added, “We just have to figure out what to do about that hideous man now, so Matty remains safe.” Looking at his son, he asked, “Does Matty’s father know how much time he spends over here with you, Nicolo?”

“Oh, I doubt it. Matty usually waits until Mr. Remington has passed out before he leaves him. But there have been a few times he’s asked in the morning where Matty was. He said he usually tells his father something like, ‘I went for a walk’ because he doesn’t want to involve us in his trouble with his father. But…” Nico lowered his head like the subject pained him. “He doesn’t like lying to hi s father. He told me he’s had to go to confession about it several times.”

There was an audible collective sigh from all three parents, and Isaac spoke up. “That young man has too many problems to worry about, and his eternal soul should not be one of them. I’ll have a talk with him when he’s feeling up to it. Now go get some sleep, son. You look dead on your feet. And, Nicolo, we’re proud of you and what a good friend you are to him.”

Nico embraced his fathers and kissed his mother, then shuffled down the long, tiled hallway to his room rubbing his eyes as he went. His head swam, he was so tired. Thank goodness I don’t have to attend school today, he thought to himself. I’d be worthless .

Nico tried to be silent as he entered his bedroom, drew the curtains closed, and climbed into bed beside Matty. In the dim light, he scowled at how much worse the bruising on Matty’s normally handsome face looked. He had two black eyes and swelling where Doc Louis had done repair work to Matty’s nose. It’s a wonder Matty still has all of his teeth. I could strangle that so-called father of his. I wonder if Matty ever fights back against that monster. Looking at Matty’s hand, he was frustrated not to see any bruising or cuts on his knuckles, but Nico struggled to subdue the tears that threatened to fall as he thought of how beautiful his friend was inside and out. Matty had thick, wavy black hair and eyes the color of the summer sky. His features were so perfect, Nico often thought Matty should have been a prince or a knight, or some heroic champion in a story—not a victim for a mean drunk to pound on.

Growing up as he had in a house with a mother and two fathers who routinely showed affection to one another, and being close friends with another such family, Nico didn’t think twice about demonstrating his fondness for Matty. They had been best friends for years, and Nico knew in his heart that he loved Matty. No one was gentler, kinder, more steadfast, or loyal. Desperately needing to touch him without disturbing his friend, Nico reached out and gently stroked a lock of hair off his forehead. Nico knew sleep was the best thing. As long as Matty slept, he would not feel the pain in his ribs or his poor face, so Nico scooted back a little, kissed Matty’s shoulder, and lay his head over the kissed spot. He whispered, “I love you, Matty. Please get better soon.” Nico fell into exhausted sleep in less than two minutes.

About four hours later, Nico awoke with a start. Matty was moaning and trying to get up.

“Hold on. What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Toilet.” Matty’s voice sounded muffled and miserable. Nico figured it was partially due to the cotton packed into his nose.

“I’ll help you. Just a second.” Nico sprang out of bed and gently put his arm behind Matty so he could help him sit up. After lots of grimacing and cries of pain, they finally got Matty to the bathroom Nico shared with his brothers where he took care of business. “I’m so sorry you’re hurting, Matty. Doc Louis gave me some medicine to help you and said for me to give it to you when you woke up.”

Walking sapped Matty’s energy, and he didn’t want to talk quite yet, so he just nodded his head a little. Once they had him situated back in the bed, Nico carefully measured out what Doc Louis said to give him and administered it to Matty. “This will help, but tonight I’ll give you a little opium so you can sleep,” he explained. “It’s for the first couple of days only, and then we’ll just use the milder medicine. Hopefully you’ll sleep a lot, and that will help you get better. Are you hungry?”

Matty looked at Nico with sad, bloodshot eyes. “Not so much,” he whispered. “Stay with me?”

“I will, but I need to go get you something to drink at least. Doc Louis said it would make you feel better to have something in your stomach. Maybe the cook has some broth. I promise, I’ll be right back as soon as I can.”

As Nico stood to go, Matty grabbed his hand. “What if my father shows up here? I don’t want any trouble for your family. He could try to hurt someone here.”

“Do you think he knows where you’ve gone?”

“I sure didn’t tell him, but maybe someone saw me.”

“They’d have to be a pretty awful person to let him know in that case, and it was in the middle of the night. How did you even get here when you were in such terrible shape? ”

Matty sighed and then winced from the deep breath. “It took me a long time to make it. I couldn’t breathe very well, and at one point I was afraid I’d drown when I tripped and landed in a big puddle. That hurt so badly, but I just hauled myself up and kept putting one foot in front of the other. I had to get away from that house.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “I was so scared, Nico. He’s never been that violent before, and I was afraid this time he might kill me. I don’t even know what set him off originally, but he got angrier than usual because I fought back this time.” He hung his head. “He was taunting me, but I tried to ignore him, so he punched me in the nose.” Matty paused for a moment. “I felt it break, and I thought my head would explode from the pain, so I struck him back without even thinking. I only hit him with an open hand, but he went into a fury. He knocked me down and started kicking me. I was in so much pain, I couldn’t even get up to defend myself at that point, but he was drunk and finally wore himself out.” Tears poured freely down Matty’s face at this point. “When he turned away from me to grab his whiskey bottle, I shoved him. He fell down, and I think he hit his head, so I left as quickly as I could.” Matty suddenly looked horrified. “I hope I didn’t kill him!”

Nico felt like crying seeing Matty in such anguish. On some level, Matty must still care for his father, but he was also scared to death for his own safety. It was so typical of Matty to worry about a man who’d brutally attacked him. “Don’t worry, Matty. If he was that drunk, he probably just passed out and hopefully won’t remember what happened. My fathers will keep you safe here. They promised me.” He squeezed Matty’s hand. “I’ll be right back with some soup for you. Please don’t worry.” He knew that request was going to have little if any effect on Matty’s thinking, but he had to try.

A few minutes later, Nico was back with a tray from the kitchen, followed by his mother.

“How do you feel, Matty?” she asked. “I am glad to see you are awake now.”

“Oh, I’ve definitely had better days than this, ma’am, but I’ll be alright. Thank you for your kindness.”

“Matty, you are like another son to me. You are welcome to stay here to recuperate. I must tell you that my husbands left a little while ago to speak to the police on your behalf, but with this weather disaster we are having, the officers are overburdened right now. Despite the fact that we now have laws that prevent cruelty to children in this country, and they are no longer seen as property of their parents, I do not know how much assistance the police will be able to provide. We will discuss the possibilities for keeping you safe when Walter and Isaac return. Now, please have some of this delicious hot soup, and then get some rest.” She stroked a hand lovingly through his hair as she had done so many times since he was a young boy, and it never failed to make Matty miss his own mother terribly.

“Yes, ma’am.” Then a terrible thought occurred to Matty. “Is the house unprotected with Mr. Isaac and Mr. Walter gone? I’m so afraid my father will guess where I am and cause you trouble.”

“Do not worry. Our dear Jeb Hawkins is guarding the front gate, and the men locked it when they left. Your father would have a very difficult time getting in today.” Normally, the gate was left standing open to welcome their family and friends, but hearing that Isaac and Walter had taken this precaution made Matty relax. He also knew what a trusted friend Jeb Hawkins was, and considering that the man dwarfed Isaac with his impressive size, Matty imagined Jeb could handle his father. He’d even heard the story about how Jeb had saved Suzette’s life before he’d moved south with everyone.

Suzette recognized the relief on Matty’s face. “So have your soup and then rest, my sweet boy. Our entire family wants to see you feel better quickly. Isaac and Walter will let you know what the police say, if anything.”

“Do you think they will arrest my father?”

“I would not know. Do not think about it now. Have some food and get some rest. The cook served enough for both of you two to enjoy, and she baked a very fine cake if you want something sweet. I will leave you now and go check with our guard to see if he has seen anything suspicious. He might also want hot coffee after standing out in the rain.”

“Oh, I feel like I’m causing all sorts of trouble for your family, ma’am. Maybe I ought to just go home and face my father like a man.”

“Absolutely not!” Suzette gasped .

“No!” Nico cried at the same time. “He might actually kill you!”

“Matty,” Suzette said softly, “do not think of such a thing. We are happy to protect and keep you. The men will figure out something. Do not worry about us.”

Just then, they all heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun blast.